Timeline of federal actions and investments

Below are the measures the Government of Canada has taken since signing the CFTA, to enhance internal trade, make life affordable, strengthen our supply chains, and grow our economy.

2017-2018

• Canada Free Trade Agreement (CFTA): Came into force July 1, 2017, reducing and eliminating barriers to the free movement of persons, goods, services and investments within Canada, and establishing:
  • The Committee on Internal Trade (CIT): Comprised of Federal Provincial and Territorial (FPT) ministers responsible for internal trade, meeting annually and supervising the implementation of the CFTA.
  • The Regulatory Reconciliation and Cooperation Table (RCT): FPT table responsible for  addressing trade barriers through regulatory reconciliation.
• Timber Marking Act: Repealed the federal Timber Marking Act, which required timber to be marked when floated down rivers in certain provinces. This supports the seamless movement of timber between jurisdictions.
• National Building Codes: The Government of Canada made National Building Codes available for free, starting November 2018. Limiting variations and aligning adoption in buildings is estimated to result in an annual economic benefit of $750 million to $1 billion by 2028.
• Endorsed Reconciliation Agreement on Weight Allowances for Wide Base Single Tires (WBS): The Council of Ministers Responsible for Transportation and Highway Safety agreed to align weight limits across and within jurisdictions for WBS Tires and more traditional Dual Tires, reducing shipping costs.
• Endorsed Reconciliation Agreement on Organic Labelling for Aquaculture Products: The Government of Canada committed to reconciling organic labelling requirements for aquaculture products with those for agricultural products, increasing market access opportunities for organic products by Canadian aquaculture producers.
• Endorsed Reconciliation Agreement on Occupational Health and Safety: The Government of Canada committed to adopting a national common standard for personal equipment and first aid kits (eye and face protection, head protection, foot protection, hearing protection, personal floatation devices and life jackets), reducing the need for Canadian businesses who operate in multiple jurisdictions to purchase different sets per jurisdiction.
• Endorsed Reconciliation Agreement on Inspection Requirements for Produce: The Government of Canada committed to reconciling differing requirements for grade inspections for apples, potatoes, and quality inspections for blueberries, making it easier to sell these products in other provinces and territories.

2019-2020

• Safe Food for Canadians Act: The Government of Canada implemented the Safe Food for Canadians Act and related regulations to enable regulatory harmonization in the agri-food sector.
• Importation of Intoxicating Liquors Act: The Government of Canada removed federal restrictions on the sale of alcohol, eliminating all federal barriers to sale of alcohol in Canada.
• Federal-Provincial-Territorial Action Plan: Trade in Alcoholic Beverages: At the 2019 Committee on Internal trade, Ministers launched an action plan to improve consumer choice and greater access to markets for alcohol producers.
• Endorsed Reconciliation Agreement on Upholstered and Stuffed Articles: The Government of Canada committed to eliminating red tape and reconciling regulatory measures that act as a barrier to the internal trade of upholstered and stuffed articles within Canada.
• Endorsed Reconciliation Agreement on Extra-Provincial/Territorial Corporate Registration and Reporting: The Government of Canada committed to develop and implement the Multi-jurisdictional Registry Access Service (MRAS), a scalable and adaptable digital solution that enables information to be shared among jurisdictions through a central hub, making extra-provincial/territorial registration and reporting more seamless and efficient for businesses.
• Endorsed Reconciliation Agreement on Energy Efficiency Requirements for Household Appliances: The Government of Canada committed to aligned energy efficiency regulations for household appliances such as washers and dryers, ovens and ranges, refrigerators, microwave ovens, freezers and dishwashers, increasing clarity for consumers and making it easier to manufacture and sell appliances within Canada.
• Endorsed Reconciliation Agreement on Aquaculture Site Marking: The Government of Canada worked with Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador to implement consistent markings of waterways regulated by FPT governments to ensure safety for users.
• Commercial Vehicle Drivers Hours of Service Regulations: The Government of Canada mandated federally regulated truck and bus motor carriers use certified electronic logging devices to keep track of hours worked, establishing a national standard, reducing costs and making it easier for drivers to move goods across the country.
• Excise Act: The Government of Canada amended the Excise Act to allow for authorized out-of-province retailers to hold cannabis products stamped for a different jurisdiction, removing federal restrictions on the interprovincial and territorial sale of cannabis.
• Endorsed Reconciliation Agreement on Pan-Canadian Occupational Health and Safety: The Government of Canada committed to reconcile standards for seven different types of Fall Protection equipment across the country.
• Food and Drug Regulations: The Government of Canada amended vodka standards to permit innovation and harmonize with international trading partners.
• Domestic Comparability Assessment Tool: The Government of Canada developed a comparison tool for food and meat inspection that provincial and territorial governments can use to self-assess their inspection regimes with the federal regime. This tool supports the identification of barriers and prioritizes efforts to reduce them.

2021-2022

• Budget 2021: Committed $21 million to strengthen internal trade including:
  • creating a repository of open and accessible pan-Canadian internal trade data
  • pursuing internal trade objectives through new or renewed discretionary federal transfers to provinces and territories.
• Endorsed Entry-level Training for Commercial Drivers (Class 1): The Council of Ministers Responsible for Transportation and Highway Safety approved set a national minimum standard for commercial truck driver entry-level training.
• Endorsed Reconciliation Agreement First Amendment on Pan-Canadian Occupational Health and Safety Reconciliation Agreement: The Government of Canada agreed to include first aid training in the Pan-Canadian Occupational Health and Safety Reconciliation Agreement, setting a common standard for first aid training, and supporting businesses operating across multiple jurisdictions.
• Budget 2022: Announced additional investments that support internal trade:
  • Labour Mobility Tax Deduction: providing tax recognition up to $4,000 per year on eligible travel and temporary relocation expenses to eligible tradespersons and apprentices.
  • Loan forgiveness for family doctors and nurses in rural and remote communities: $26.2 million in additional funding under the Canada Student Financial Assistance Program.
  • Foreign Credential Recognition Program: $115 million over five years, with $30 million ongoing to help 11,000 internationally trained health care professionals per year get their credentials recognized in Canada and find work in their field.
  • Canadian Agricultural Partnership: Renewed this comprehensive suite of supports for Canadian farmers and researchers with $600 million per year, starting in 2023, to support agricultural innovation, sustainability, competitiveness, and market development.
  • Canada’s transportation networks: $603.2 million over five years, starting in 2022–23, in new infrastructure funding, supply chains digitization, and actions to reduce the regulatory burden on industry.
• Exemption for Service Rig Transportation: The Government of Canada implemented a federal exemption for service rig transportation, operating within a small area or in recognized oil and gas fields, from having to complete both a record of duty status and other industry documents to show they comply with work, rest and record-keeping requirements.
• The Federal Action Plan to Strengthen Internal Trade: At the 2022 Committee on Internal Trade, Minister LeBlanc launched the five-point plan to accelerate efforts to remove barriers to trade and labour mobility across Canada:
  • open, transparent, and accessible pan-Canadian data on the state of internal trade;
  • stakeholder engagement to better understand internal trade barriers and opportunities;
  • research to identify and address trade barriers;
  • enhanced funding for the Internal Trade Secretariat to address barriers, and
  • a review of the CFTA to reduce federal exceptions.

2023-2024

• Lloydminster Food Trade Pilot: The pilot project allows participating provincially licensed food businesses in Alberta and Saskatchewan to sell across provincial borders within the Lloydminster city limits.
• Endorsed Reconciliation Agreement Second Amendment on Pan-Canadian Occupational Health and Safety: The Government of Canada agreed to include filtering respirators into the Pan-Canadian Occupational Health and Safety Reconciliation Agreement, setting a common standard across multiple jurisdictions and providing access to domestically produced filtering respirators.
• Online stakeholder portal: The Government of Canada launched a stakeholder submission portal to directly share insights on obstacles and innovations to internal trade.
• Budget 2023: Committed to developing a Federal Framework on Mutual Recognition for regulatory standards to ensure goods and services move more freely. Additional investments that support internal trade included:
  • Loan forgiveness for family doctors and nurses in rural and remote communities: $45.9 million, starting in 2024–25, with $11.7 million ongoing under the Canada Student Financial Assistance Program to expand eligibility to more rural communities.
  • Strengthen Canada’s trade corridors: $52.2 million over five years, starting in 2023–24 to establish a Transportation Supply Chain Office and develop better supply chain data.
  • Local Food Infrastructure Fund: $10 million to strengthen food security in Northern, rural and Indigenous communities across Canada.
• Incorporation of Non-medical Cannabis: Non-medical cannabis added to the CFTA.
• Budget 2024: Announced key milestones of the Federal Action Plan to Strengthen Internal Trade:
  • Removal and narrowing of one third of all federal exceptions in the Canadian Free Trade Agreement, primarily related to procurement that will provide Canadian businesses more opportunities to compete to deliver government goods and services.
  • Canadian Internal Trade Data and Information Hub: Accessible data platform that provides timely, free information to help make choices about where to invest and where to work; and
  • Canadian Survey on Interprovincial Trade: First of its kind to engage Canadian businesses on challenges when buying, selling and investing across provincial and territorial borders.
• The Government of Canada also announced additional investments and commitments that support internal trade and labour mobility:
  • Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund: $6 billion over 10 years, starting in 2024-25, includes funding to adopt forthcoming changes to the National Building Code to support more accessible, affordable, and climate-friendly housing options.
  • Foreign Credential Recognition Program: $50 million over two years, starting in 2024-25, to streamline the recognition of foreign credentials in the construction and health sectors; and
  • Effectively integrate internationally educated health care professionals into Canada’s health workforce: $77.1 million over four years, starting in 2025-26, to increase assessment capacity and processing support to navigate credential recognition systems.
• Mutual Recognition Pilot Project in Trucking: The Government of Canada led a coalition of 10 provinces and territories to launch a mutual recognition pilot project in the trucking sector, the first of its kind on this scale in Canada, at the 2024 Committee on Internal Trade.
  • As of February 28, 2025, all jurisdictions are now on board for the pilot project on mutual recognition in the trucking sector, originally announced in September 2024.

2025

• Canadian Survey on Interprovincial Trade: Data from the Survey was released on February 14, 2025. The Survey collected data between June 18, 2024, and October 15, 2024, on the trade of goods and services across provincial and territorial borders, as well as on labour mobility in Canada. These data give insight into the state of interprovincial trade activities and is used to identify trade barriers and inform policies on the sale and transport of goods across Canada, and by the Canadian public to better understand trade relationships between provinces.
• Removal of over half of remaining federal exceptions: On February 21, Minister Anand announced the removal of additional federal exceptions in the Canadian Free Trade Agreement. The majority of exceptions removed relate to government procurement, providing Canadian businesses greater opportunity to compete across the country.
• Canada’s First Ministers Statement on Internal Trade: The Prime Minister and Canada’s premiers met to discuss strategies to make it easier for Canadians to do business with each other from coast to coast to coast. On March 5, 2025, Canada’s First Ministers agreed to build on the foundational work of the Committee on Internal Trade and strengthen Canada’s domestic economy by reducing barriers to internal trade and labour mobility across the country.
• Canada’s First Ministers statement on building a strong Canadian economy and advancing major projects: The Prime Minister and Canada’s premiers met to unlock multilateral, economy-wide mutual recognition and labour mobility. First Ministers directed the Committee on Internal Trade to rapidly conclude a comprehensive Mutual Recognition Agreement covering consumer goods, with implementation by December 2025. In addition, they directed their Ministers of Transport to work together to rapidly expand the trucking pilot. They also agreed to a 30-day service standard for pan-Canadian credential recognition.
• Bill C-5, the One Canadian Economy Act, received Royal Assent: As part of Bill C-5, the Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act will accept comparable provincial or territorial regulations, where they exist, as meeting federal requirements for the movement of goods, services, and labour within Canada. This will allow more goods, services, workers and business to move freely across provinces and territories.
• Removal of all remaining federal exceptions: On June 30, Minister Anand announced that the Government of Canada will be removing all remaining federal from the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA), eliminating all 53 in the Agreement since its introduction in 2017.
• Publishing of the Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act Regulations: On November 19, the regulations of the Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act were published. The Act removes federal barriers to interprovincial and territorial trade, making it easier for businesses to trade, and for skilled workers to do their job across Canada. It makes sure that a business following provincial or territorial rules is not held up by similar (comparable) federal rules, and removes duplication and unnecessary paperwork. The Act will come into force on January 1, 2026.
• Canadian Mutual Recognition Agreement (CMRA): On November 19, all jurisdictions agreed to sign the Mutual Recognition Agreement on the sale of goods. Governments across Canada regulate the sale of many goods to uphold various standards. However, when regulatory requirements differ between provinces or territories, they can create costs and barriers to doing business. The CMRA ensures that businesses can sell their goods across Canada without having to meet duplicative regulatory requirements, unless the good is specifically exempted from the agreement.
• Endorsement of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Interprovincial Trucking: On November 19, the Committee on Internal Trade (CIT) Ministers endorsed the MOU on Interprovincial Trucking, developed with the Council of Ministers Responsible for Transportation and Highway Safety. This MOU reduces internal trade barriers in the trucking sector and facilitates the efficient movement of goods across the country.

2026

• Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act comes into force: On January 1, 2026, the Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act came into force. To help Canadian workers and businesses understand the Act, the federal government published a user guide explaining how the Act will apply, its advantages, and where to seek assistance or answers to questions.